US 4,135,664 A · Lateral register control system and method

Abstract

A lateral register control system utilizing a reference lateral and circumferential mark pair preprinted on the web which is compared with a corresponding mark pair mounted on a drum coupled to the shaft of the print cylinder whose reference is to be controlled. The clock source being an encoder connected to the same print stand as laid down the reference marks on the web. The contents of the cylinder position counters always being slightly greater than the contents of the scanner difference counters and being counted up slightly before the scanner difference counters. Upon sensing a first reference mark on the web, the scanner difference counters are permitted to count. Upon the second reference mark being sensed the fine adjust counters are permitted to start counting. Upon the contents of the fine adjust counters equaling the value of operator setable fine adjust switches, an error pulse train is generated having an associated sign. The error pulse train is accumulated in a repeat counter and is terminated when the contents of the scanner difference counters equal the contents of the cylinder position counters. Said error magnitude may be averaged over several cycles or output directly to a digital analog converter which produces an analog error magnitude. This magnitude serves as the input to the motor control circuitry. Said motor control circuitry being operable to drive the print cylinder lateral position motor at a rate proportional to said analog error signal and in the direction indicated by the sign of said error signal.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A lateral register control system for locating the lateral position of a rotary member at a work applying station to minimize lateral register errors on a traveling web;

the web having had indicia applied before entering the work applying station which indicia provide for discrimination of the lateral position of the web at the work station, the system including:
a source of clock pulses;
first means for sensing indicia on the web in proximity to the work applying station and operable to obtain a count of clock pulses representing the instantaneous lateral position of the web;
second means comprising a cylinder having a first and second indicia at a predetermined angle with respect to one another, mechanically connected to the rotary member, for sensing the lateral position of the rotary member at the work applying station and operable to obtain a count of clock pulses representing the instantaneous lateral position of the rotary member at the work applying station;
and
third means connected to said source of clock pulses said first means and said second means for comparing the lateral position of the web to the lateral position of the rotary member at the work applying station and operable to laterally shift the rotary member such that the difference between the lateral register of the web and that of the rotary member is minimized.

3 more elements

A lateral register control system for locating the lateral position of a work applying rotary member at a work station to minimize lateral register errors on a traveling web;

the web having pairs of preprinted reference marks on it when it enters the work station with one member of the pair being at a pedetermined angle with respect to the direction of web movement and the second member of the pair at a predetermined different angle with respect to the first, the system including:
a first means for sensing the mark pairs on the web;
a second means connected to the rotary member to be controlled for sensing the lateral position of that rotary member;
a source of clock pulses;
and
a third means connected to said first and second means and
being further connected to said source of clock pulses and connected to the rotary member to be controlled and being operable to compare the time interval between sensed elements of a web mark pair with the lateral position of the rotary member and then to move the rotary member laterally based on said comparison to minimize the difference, wherein
said second means comprises a nonmagnetic cylinder having two magnetic wires mounted thereon with an associated sensor unit;
said cylinder being mounted on the shaft of the rotary member whose lateral position is to be controlled and rotating and moving laterally in conjunction with that rotary member;
said sensor unit being operable to produce two pulses for each revolution of said nonmagnetic cylinder, one pulse being produced as each of said wires turns under said sensor unit;
a first of said two magnetic wires being mounted at a predetermined angle with respect to the axis of rotation of said cylinder with a second of said two wires mounted at a predetermined different angle and at a predetermined distance from said first wire.

8 more elements

A lateral register control system for locating the lateral position of a rotary member at a work applying station to minimize lateral register errors on a traveling web;

which web contains reference mark pairs printed on the web before it enters the work applying station with one member of the pair being at a predetermined angle with respect to the direction of web movement and the second member of the pair at a predetermined different angle with respect to the first, comprising:
a pulse source;
an optical scanner operable to sense the presence of the reference marks on the web;
a nonmagnetic cylinder having two magnetic wires mounted thereon, at a pre-selected angle and at a pre-selected spacing with respect to one another with one of said wires being parallel to the axis of rotation of said cylinder, and with the second of said wires being at a pre-selected angle with respect to said first wire, said cylinder being mounted on the shaft of the rotary member whose lateral register is to be controlled and rotating and moving laterally with that rotary member, having also an associated scanner unit operable to produce two pulses for each revolution of the print cylinder, one pulse being produced as each of said wires turns under said scanner unit;
first means for sensing the output of said optical scanner and operable to measure the lateral position of the web by obtaining a count of clock pulses from said clock source proportional to the lateral position of the web;
second means for sensing the output of said associated scanner unit and operable to measure the lateral position of the rotary member by obtaining a count of clock pulses from said clock source proportional to the lateral position of the rotary member;
and
third means for comparing the web lateral postion as determined by said first means to the lateral position of the rotary member and operable to then shift the rotary member laterally to minimize the lateral position difference between the web and the rotary member;
said first means being connected to said optical scanner and said third means;
said second means being connected to said associated scanner and said third means.

7 more elements

A lateral register control system for locating the lateral position of a rotary member at a work applying station to minimize lateral register errors on a traveling web;

the web having had indicia applied before entering the work applying station which indicia provide for discrimination of the lateral position of the web at the work station, the system including:
a source of clock pulses;
first means for sensing indicia on the web in proximity to the work applying station and operable to obtain a count of clock pulses representing the instantaneous lateral position of the web;
second means connected to the rotary member, for sensing the lateral position of the rotary member at the work applying station and operable to obtain a count of clock pulses representing the instantaneous lateral position of the rotary member at the work applying station;
and
third means connected to said source of clock pulses said first means and said second means for comparing the lateral position of the web to the lateral position of the rotary member at the work applying station and operable to laterally shift the rotary member such that the difference between the lateral register of the web and that of the rotary member is minimized, wherein said second means comprises a nonmagnetic cylinder having two magnetic wires mounted thereon along with an associated sensor unit;
said cylinder being mounted on the shaft of the rotary member at the work station whose lateral position is to be controlled and rotating and moving laterally in conjunction with the rotary member;
said sensor unit being operable to produce two pulses for each revolution of said nonmagnetic cylinder, one pulse being produced as each of said wires turns under said sensor unit;
a first of said two magnetic wires being mounted at a predetermined angle with respect to the axis of rotation of said cylinder with a second of said two wires mounted at a predetermined different angle and at a predetermined distance from said first wire.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Lateral register control system and method

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Lateral register control system and method

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims10